We do not do sales. The only time we offer something cheaper than MSRP is to offer the sale of refurbished units. The PM-1 will be $1099 and the PM-2 will be $699 for the life of these products.

I think like most companies, you'll probably find whether or not you "do sales" to be dictated by the market, not internal policy. Unless, of course, preserving policy supersedes profits. As for selling the PM1 at north of $1K once the new-and-shiny factor has worn off... I think that may be an uphill battle, no offense.

We are not like most companies. We are primarily direct sales, so the number of units which we need to sell to remain profitable is to our distinct advantage; since we sell directly to the customer as well as our resale channels, we have a discrete understanding of what quantity of product we need to manufacture in order to meet the demand, so we never over produce product; we release products in 18 to 24 months cycles, so we are never in a rush to liquidate stock to make room for a new generation of product. We feel very comfortable with the performance and pricing of the current PM-1 and the future PM-2 headphones.

I think like most companies, you'll probably find whether or not you "do sales" will be dictated by the market, not internal policy. Unless, of course, preserving policy supersedes profits. As for selling the PM1 at north of $1K once the shininess factor has worn off... Well, best of luck with that.

Obviously you aren't aware of how Oppo's business model has operated and been very successful for several years.
They do not operate under the traditional and/or stereotypical definition of "MSRP" (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price).
The caveat of MSRP is usually that manufacturer's ramp up the price to an exorbitant profit margins, then they offer certain percentages off the MSRP price to trick consumers into thinking that they are getting a "deal",
when if fact consumers are still paying more than they should in most cases.
Oppo does not resort to those type of sales tactics. Instead they are known for offering very high quality products, combined with excellent warranty, service and support.
Again this business model has proven to be VERY successful for them, as once consumers are aware of how they do business,
they realize that Oppo is about providing the best product they can while still making a respectable profit.
For many OEMs the drive for profit outweighs providing the consumers with a great product.
For Oppo, the consumers needs are of the highest priority, and that is another reason why they continue to be successful.Edited by Smarty-pants - 6/7/14 at 8:30pm

We are not like most companies. We are primarily direct sales, so the number of units which we need to sell to remain profitable is to our distinct advantage; since we sell directly to the customer as well as our resale channels, we have a discrete understanding of what quantity of product we need to manufacture in order to meet the demand, so we never over produce product; we release products in 18 to 24 months cycles, so we are never in a rush to liquidate stock to make room for a new generation of product. We feel very comfortable with the performance and pricing of the current PM-1 and the future PM-2 headphones.

Yes, I understand that... But -and I guess this is where we're going to disagree- I just don't think the PM1 is competitive at north of $1K. I think it gets outclassed by other phones at that price-point. Again, no offense is intended, this is just based off my ears. But to be fair, it seems quite a few people agree with me. So whether we want to use the language of "a sale" or simply a revamping of the price-point, my argument is that I think something is going to have to give. Or perhaps keep the price the same and revamp the phone itself, so it's more competitive at north of $1K.

Again, no offense intended. This is a forum for discussing headphones, so naturally the discussion is often directly correlated with how good one may feel a particular phone is... Generally such opinions are pretty innocuous, however it can appear to take on an adversarial lean when the person you're discussing said opinion with happens to make the headphone, ha ha. But that's not my intent.

So I'm not trying to be a bastard... I'm just giving my honest assessment. I think the PM1 is a great phone... But I think it's in the realm of HE500 great. I think it gets outgunned once you start to get into the $1K+ market. So I think it will be hard to sell at that figure once the new product lust wears off.

Or maybe I'm completely wrong and the PM1 deserves another listen. It's happened before. ;-) I think every post on this forum should take a note from Reading Rainbow and be tagged with "But don't take my word for it..."

I'm pretty sure the pm-2 drivers are the exact same with the same sound signature. The headphones are just made with a few cheaper parts i.e. More plastic and not real leather. But I'm sure it's still really well built.

I'm pretty sure the pm-2 drivers are the exact same with the same sound signature. The headphones are just made with a few cheaper parts i.e. More plastic and not real leather. But I'm sure it's still really well built.

Different parts can impact the sound in many ways. Swapping plastic cups for wood cups, or metal for that matter, will make an audible difference in sound. They resonate differently and have different acoustical properties. It's possible they'll sound the same, I personally wouldn't count on it though.

Different parts can impact the sound in many ways. Swapping plastic cups for wood cups, or metal for that matter, will make an audible difference in sound. They resonate differently and have different acoustical properties. It's possible they'll sound the same, I personally wouldn't count on it though.

All I said was the drivers would sound the same. I never said they were going to sound exactly the same. I'm sure they will sound very similar.

Comments from those who were in the beta program have stated the pm-1 and pm-2 sound exactly the same. I even seem to remember one person commenting that to hear the pm-2 just change the cable and pads on the pm-1 and you'll have the pm-2 sound.